Scaling down

Some of you have probably seen this coming, but this is just a little announcement to say that I’m going to scale back a bit on blogging. In fact, I’m scaling down whatever time I’m spending on the computer in general. I have two beautiful girls who are going to be all grown up before I know it, and I do not want to have them remember me as mum-always-in-front-of-the-computer. I’ve had enough of saying to Marica, “Mamma will be done on the computer soon, just go play a bit more”.

I have realised that I’m often spending time on the computer when I don’t need to. There is absolutely no point in having my philosophy about not having a TV if I simply use the computer for the same thing (zoning out, mindless entertainment, pointless link-hopping or perusing Facebook or the news).

Life is precious, and it needs to be lived, breathed, tasted, and ferociously hugged. Spring is coming. There are noses to be wiped, parks to be explored, books to be read.

I am a mother with the extravagant privilege of being home with my kids. If I’m present in body but not present in mind, I might as well put them in daycare and go get a job. Yet I have realised that I spend too much time looking at things on the computer. Interesting things, worthwhile things and blogs; keeping in touch — I don’t play games (anymore!) or read celebrity gossip. It’s not as if I spend all, or even most of my time at the computer. But for me and my kids, it’s been too much. I want to be free from it, so that if a day or two goes by without me checking my email, it doesn’t feel like I’m going to go into withdrawal. I want to live deliberately.

I’m not saying that I’m renouncing the computer! On the contrary, I’m renouncing the way I have been using it. It is a tool to be used, and a necessary part of modern-day life. Like my very wise husband said when I talked to him about this, “Well, blogging was made for man, not man for blogging.” So, I will still email, and I will still blog, but not if it puts my family on hold. I will not stick to some blog schedule, I will blog sporadically. Some weeks you might get one post (or none) and other weeks you might get 5 (unlikely). Hopefully this way the posts are a bit more interesting too. :-)

If you feel you’re not staying in touch enough with what we’re up to, by all means flick us an email. We’ll appreciate it, and we will reply. Skype is also a great means of staying in contact and we use it regularly, so feel free to call. Our Skype name is “benhoyt”. We still update the funny things Marica says on Twitter, and every now and then we put new photos on Flickr.

So long, until next time!